Lessons Learned from Star Wars

I used to be one of those people who had never seen a Star Wars movie. The hubs has always been a huge Star Wars geek, but I refused to watch a movie with him because I did not think I would like it. Well, now I have a little 5-year-old fanatic in the house, and I have seen all of the movies. What can I say? It is hard to turn down requests from those big brown eyes.

Logan’s obsession started when he was 3 when he found his Daddy’s Star Wars action figure book. He poured over it for hours. His Daddy finally convinced me to let Logan watch the first prequel when he was 4, and the rest is history. Logan knows every single character from all the movies, what ships they fly, and even that Greedo shot first (I have no idea what that even means). Now his 2-year-old brother can already pick out most characters from the many books in our house, and his favorite is Boba Fett.

For those who have not seen the movies, 5 of the now 7 movies are rated PG (the other two are PG-13) and none of them have bad language or sexual content. There is certainly some violence but mainly between robot-looking stormtroopers. My personal opinion is that they are not really any more violent than the Lego Star Wars Series or Star Wars Rebels on Disney XD.

Since I am a now a casual Star Wars fan thanks to becoming a Mom, here are some lessons that I believe we can all learn from watching Star Wars movies.

Women Rule: Everyone knows that Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker play important roles in the movies. Additionally, there are no weak female characters in Star Wars. Princess Leia was a strong senator for the Rebel Alliance and commanded a Rebel Base. Padme’ Amidala was elected Queen of Naboo at an early age and then served as a senator once her term limit as queen expired. Plus, the newest movie has several women playing strong roles. We all know that women rule, but it is great that Star Wars helps reinforce that message.
“Judge me by my size, do you?”: One of the most powerful Jedi Masters in the force was a short green guy with big ears named Yoda. From Star Wars we learned that the biggest and strongest do not always come out on top.
Actions have consequences: When Anakin Skywalker moved over to the Dark Side, he gave up everything he loved including his wife (Padme’ Amidala), kids on the way, and friendships with mentors like Obi Wan Kenobi. From the movies we learn that when we make decisions, we must deal with the effects of those decisions.
The easiest path may not the best path: Luke to Yoda, “Is the dark side stronger?” Yoda to Luke, “No, no, no. Quicker, easier, more seductive.” This is a good reminder that something that appears to be better or easier may just be deceiving you.
Sometimes you have to let them win: I think we can all relate to this one as parents. While we should not always let our kiddos win, sometimes it is just the easiest thing to do so they don’t turn into little monsters (or wookiees!).
- Chewbacca: “AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHH”
- C-3PO: “He made a fair move. Screaming about it can’t help you”
- Han Solo: “Let him have it. It’s not wise to upset a Wookiee”
- C-3PO: “But sir, nobody worries about upsetting a droid.”
- Han Solo: “That’s because droids don’t pull people’s arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookies are known to do that.”
- Chewbacca: “Grrrr”
- C-3PO: “I see your point, sir. I suggest a new strategy. R2, let the Wookiee win!”